The Rivers would have been similar to Bridgeport Village, the developer's
other local and hugely successful landfill improvement. Yet, instead of creating
a positive environment, Jim Nicita pursued a negative environment that cast
doubt on whether the center could ever receive city approval. Developer Fred
Bruning did the smart thing: He quit wasting his time and money.

Mr. Bruning is a creator. He makes things happen. But Mr. Nicita is only a
perceiver: He perceives things.

In the DJC, Mr. Nicita stated, "We need to draw on our competitive
strengths." What does he perceive our "competitive strengths" to be? He states,
"(We) can become a center for value-added food processing" and "There's untapped
potential for jobs in that area."

Mr. Nicita was elected in November 2008. Yet here we are three years after
Mr. Nicita's election and where are the food processing jobs? What job-creating
measures has he acted upon? He cites his "leadership role" in hiring a
replacement economic development director, made necessary because the previous
director resigned in frustration.

One of Oregon City's strengths is its location at the confluence of two
state highways and an interstate freeway that retailers find so valuable that
they are willing to pay rents three to five times higher than other areas of a
city. In the DJC, Mr. Bruning stated: "Had there not been that opposition on the
council, we'd be under construction right now." The Rivers would have produced
350 to 400 family wage jobs among the 1,500 total permanent jobs and would have
attracted visitors from the coast to Eastern Oregon and Centralia to Eugene. Mr.
Nicita, how does your perceived food processing idea compare?